Spate of robberies in Harrisburg alarms residents

View full sizeJENNY KANE, The Patriot-NewsRobert Burford, 64, who lives in the 300 block of Emerald Street in Harrisburg, says he has become afraid to go out into his neighborhood because of a recent spate of robberies. "There was once a time when I could walk around the neighborhood with no fear," Burford says. "But now I'm looking around. I don't know what's going to happen next."

When Robert Burford moved to uptown Harrisburg 35 years ago, he never thought twice about walking around at night.

Now, he said, he’s constantly looking over his shoulder when he’s out late.

A recent spate of robberies in midtown and uptown have some city residents on edge and have prompted police to put officers in plainclothes in those areas to help quell the violence.

“There was once a time when I could walk around the neighborhood with no fear,” said Burford, 64, as he sat on his porch in the 300 block of Emerald Street. “But now I’m looking around. I don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s terrible.”

The belief that the robberies were carried out on random people — not between acquaintances, which is more common — is especially alarming for police and has caused some to compare it to a string of violent, random attacks in midtown about two years ago.

Uptown residents said they’ve seen less police presence in the area since summer ended and the weather has cooled off, but Harrisburg Police Chief Pierre Ritter said there’s been no drop in the number of officers patrolling in cars or walking the neighborhood.

The plainclothed officers will be in the neighborhoods until more arrests are made or the robberies subside, Ritter said.

In addition, a police substation that reopened in July at Sixth and Peffer streets remains staffed until 4:30 p.m. every day, and residents can go there to report crimes, Ritter said.

A pair of robberies happened last weekend and there were two other incidents Tuesday, including the attempted robbery of a state lawmaker from Washington County.

Rep. Tim Solobay was approached by four teenagers, one of whom was carrying a gun. As he got out of his car at Green and Kelker streets, Solobay was told to give up his valuables. Solobay, a volunteer firefighter in his hometown, punched two of the teens and activated the siren in his car, causing the other two teens to run away, police said.

A pair of 16-year-old boys — Thomas Evans of the 2200 block of Jefferson Street and Sharief Hand of the 600 block of Dauphin Street — were arrested in the attack and charged as adults with robbery and conspiracy.

The teens were charged as adults because a gun was used in the attempted heist, but prosecutors also hope the charges send a message.

Perhaps most disturbing about the attacks is how young the offenders are and how some teenagers in this area carry handguns as if they were fashion accessories, Dauphin County Deputy District Attorney Johnny Baer said.

“It feels like they’re getting younger,” Baer said. “It just seems like, by and large, the majority of people committing gun crimes ... are teenagers.”

Mattie Reid, who’s lived in the 2300 block of Green Street for nearly three decades, said the recent string of attacks makes her terrified to leave her home.

The 78-year-old said she doesn’t go out at night unless she’s with her husband, and even then she feels unsafe, Reid said.

Down the street, Terry Taylor said he’s seen fewer police cars in his neighborhood since the summer ended.

“In the summer, there was hardly a day where you wouldn’t see a cop car at the corner,” Taylor, 52, said from the porch of his home in the 2300 block of Green Street. “You’d see officers walking around. They were all over.”

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